Coreopsis plant named ‘Strawberry Lemonade’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct  Coreopsis  plant named ‘Strawberry Lemonade’ characterized by yellow foliage, red purple flowers, and a dwarf habit.

Botanical designation: Coreopsis hybrid (parents unknown).

Variety denomination: ‘Strawberry Lemonade’.

Cross reference to: co-pending applications for Coreopsis ‘Pink Lemonade’ (U.S. application Ser. No. 11/343,831, filed Jan. 30, 2006) and ‘Cherry Lemonade’ (U.S. application Ser. No. 11/343,832, filed Jan. 30, 2006).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct plant of Coreopsis and given the cultivar name ‘Strawberry Lemonade’. Coreopsis is in the family Asteraceae. This new cultivar originated from offspring located at Terra Nova Nurseries in Canby, Oreg. and reproduced in tissue culture where further selections where made. This selection was made for its cherry red flowers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Strawberry Lemonade’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Strawberry Lemonade’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

-   -   1. Golden yellow foliage.     -   2. Red purple daisy type flowers.     -   3. Dwarf mounding habit.     -   4. Very free flowering.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (cuttings and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by cuttings and tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques with terminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present invention has not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The photograph shows a one year old Coreopsis ‘Strawberry Lemonade’ growing in the ground in the garden in August in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Coreopsis cultivar based on observations of a one-year-old specimen grown in the ground in full sun under typical outdoor conditions in the garden in August in Canby, Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range from a high of 95 degrees F. in August to 32 degrees F. in January. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The color descriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Plant:     -   -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.         -   Hardiness.—USDA Zones 9-10.         -   Size.—40 cm wide and 25 cm tall to top of flowers.         -   Form.—Low mound with freely branching stems.         -   Vigor.—Good.         -   Roots.—Fibrous, freely branching, fine and White 155A in             color. Roots develop easily from cuttings. -   Stem:     -   -   Type.—Ascending.         -   Size.—20 cm tall and 1 to 2 mm wide.         -   Internode length.—12 to 30 mm.         -   Surface.—Glabrous.         -   Color.—Yellow Green 146C. -   Leaf:     -   -   Type.—Simple.         -   Shape.—Linear.         -   Arrangement.—Opposite.         -   Length.—25 to 40 mm, sessile.         -   Width.—1 to 2 mm.         -   Margins.—Entire.         -   Apex.—Acute.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Surface texture.—Glabrous, soft and smooth to the touch.         -   Venation.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Top side — Yellow, Yellow 10A with a green main vein             Yellow Green 146C to Yellow Green 146A where shaded. Bottom             — same as top side. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Long stalked terminal heads of daisy type flowers.         -   Peduncle.—7 cm tall and 1 mm wide, glabrous, Yellow 10A to             Yellow Green 146C where shaded. -   Flower:     -   -   Type.—Perfect, zygomorphic.         -   Size.—2.5 to 3.5 cm wide and 8 mm deep.         -   Ray petals.—Number — 8. Shape: Obovate with the tip three             lobed with lobes obtuse and the central lobe the longest,             base attenuate, margins entire. Size: Grows to 17 mm long, 8             mm wide. Surface texture: Glabrous, soft and velvety to the             touch. Color: Ray flower, topside — Between Greyed Purple             187B and Red Purple 71A. Ray, bottom side — Closest to             Purple 71A, but duller.         -   Cone.—Shape: Conic, deeper with maturity. Size: 7 mm wide             and becoming 5 mm deep with maturity. Color: Brown 200B when             in bud, opening to orange, Orange 24A with a dark             background, Greyed Purple 187A.         -   Disc flowers.—5 mm long and 1 mm wide, tubular, 4 lobed,             Greyed Purple 187A at the apex to Orange 24A in middle and             Yellow orange 20B near base.         -   Pistil.—6 mm long, Orange 24A overall, extruding, 2-branched             stigma, ovary 1.5 mm long, style 4 mm long.         -   Stamen.—4, filaments 3 mm long, extruding, Black 202A.         -   Pollen color.—Yellow 12C.         -   Bloom period.—June through September in Canby, Oreg.         -   Fragrance.—Light, daisy like. -   Seed: None produced.     -   -   Fertility.—Infertile. -   Disease and pests: Coreopsis are susceptible to mildew and fungal     spots. None of these have been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions in Canby, Oreg.

COMPARISONS TO SIMILAR COREOPSIS

Compared to Coreopsis ‘Limerock Ruby’ (U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 20030066114), this new cultivar has the same flower size. It is different in its yellow foliage, dwarf habit and red purple flower color. 

1. A new and distinct Coreopsis plant named ‘Strawberry Lemonade’ as herein illustrated and described. 